Kid in a Candy Store
by Project 0506
Summary: Team seven treats Sakura to chocolate on white day, but Sakura has a bit of trouble deciding which one she wants, in more ways than one...


Beware: My muses have white day syndrome...

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"Sakura-chaaaaaaan, hurry up! You're taking too long!" Naruto pouted.

"Naruto! Be quiet! I'm trying to decide!"

"But you're taking forever!"

"QUIET!" Sakura rubbed her gloved hands together for warmth and pressed her nose back up against the glass, breath creating frosty patterns. A late snowfall dusted the outside market a powdery white and sent snowflakes to dance against the sunset backdrop. She dusted off the back of her light brown coat to send the collected snow drifting to the ground.

"The sooner you finish this the sooner we can get inside..."

"I'm sorry Kakashi-sensei, I'm trying! But there are so many decisions!"

The old man behind the counter chuckled. "Letting you teammate pick out her own white day present?"

"Well we _WERE._ But at this rate she'll be picking out her Christmas present!"

"Naruto!" She eyed rows and rows of multicolored candies and chocolates, each one as tempting as the one before. "Can't you guys just pick one for me? I'm on a diet and at this rate I'll be waling out of here with fifteen!"

"Self-restraint Sakura. And you'll have to make your own decisions."

"But Kakashi-senseiiiii..."

"And could your self-restraint maybe pick up speed? I'm freezing!"

"Ah, you shouldn't rush her. Take your time Missy. You know, the type of choices a person makes shows a lot about their personality."

"Hmph," Sasuke snorted. "You can't judge a person's character by chocolate..."

"Is that so?" The chocolate vendor adjusted his glasses on his nose and regarded the boy grimly. "I beg to differ."

"Well if people were chocolate then that would be Sasuke-kun!" Sakura, recognizing the label, pointed to one of the milk chocolate truffles. "I've had one of those before. The filling is orange and brandy. It blends in and looks like all the other ones, but inside the candy is a tangy filling that really packs a serious punch!"

The old man chuckled. "Yes, quite so, but that's only part of it. It is very delicate, the slightest mishandling and it will break open, and all the filling comes running out and the truffle is spoilt. And another thing, a truffle melts away the moment it goes in your mouth. You only have a moment before it is gone and all you have left is a memory."

"The young Uchiha glared. "Garbage..."

"Whatever you say mister."

"Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan, which one would I be like!" She glared over at the bouncing blond.

"Plain chocolate."

"Plain? Just plain?" His face fell.

"Yes Naruto!" Sakura pointed to a plain chocolate ball. "Plain, no redeeming qualities what-so-ever, just there."

"Ah, plain chocolate. Simple, no fancy fillings or shapes. But you ever notice, the plain chocolate balls last twice as long as truffles do? And although they are the cheapest sort of chocolate, whenever a girl has a crisis and wants comfort food, the plain one is the one she'll pick up. No, being plain is not a bad thing at all."

"Haha! I'm better chocolate than Sasuke-teme! Dattebayo!"

"... you're proud of this?"

Kakashi sighed. "Do you have any idea how weird that sounded?"

Naruto, as usual, ignored both of them.

"Alright..." She chewed her lip and looked back and forth between them. "That really didn't make this much easier. I've got two choices and they both have good points and bad. I don't want just plain old chocolate on something special like white day. But I don't want something that's only gonna last two seconds either. Why isn't there something that's like halfway?"

"People and chocolate are usually extremes. Choose carefully."

Naruto blinked a couple of times at the pair. "Wait! What about Kakashi-sensei? Huh, huh?"

"Naruto..." The silver-haired jounin rolled his eyes and pulled his freezing hands out of his vest. He flipped open his little orange book and pretended to submerge himself in smut. Secretly he listened very closely.

"Kakashi-sensei! In public! Don't you have any shame?" The pink-haired girl glared at her sensei, who responded with a distracted chuckle and turned the page.

"No, not really."

"Ugh! Sensei! ... Kakashi-sensei would be like... that one! The triple dip! It's got different layers and until you eat it you won't know which layers are which. And you have to go through the whole thing to get the full effect."

"Always a surprise, and never the same thing twice. This isn't good for those who like to know exactly what they're getting, but those who enjoy mysteries and surprises would find it just right. The unpredictability might be unnerving, but it's always interesting. You could eat hundreds of these and never be bored because of the variety. But while you can have ten or more of the other two before feeling sick, have more than two and you'll have a stomach ache."

"Okay..." Sakura lined her three choices on the counter. "We have volatile, reliable and unpredictable. At least I've narrowed the choices down to these three. So mister, if what you're saying is true, then you can tell a lot about me by the one I choose, ne?"

"Hai."

Sasuke sneered. "A waste of time."

"Hey teme! Leave her alone! It's fun. So, which one you want?"

"Um... I... I want..." Her fingers wavered over the chocolates. "Why is this so hard! It's not like I'm going to marry the person who's like the one I choose! I'm getting chocolate, not a soul-mate!"

She glanced up to find Sasuke casting furtive glances in her direction, and Naruto openly staring. Kakashi seemd buried in his book, but somewhere in the back of her mind, inner Sakura screamed he was watching her too. "You're not helping! You're all making this even harder! Turn around! Yes, you too Kakashi-sensei. And close your eyes." She glared at Naruto who tried to peek back around. "Mister? Could you put away the other two when I take mine?"

He nodded yes.

With that she closed her eyes and grabbed one, popping it into her mouth.

"... which one did you choose?" Sasuke glared at her surprised expression. "It's not like I care. I'm just curious."

"Yeah, come on Sakura-chan! Which one was it!"

She shook her head, mouth still full of chocolate.

"Please, please please?" Naruto bounced in frustration. "Just bite into it and tell us which one you got!"

She shook her head, more resolutely this time. She bit down, and pure shock filled her eyes.

"What! Sakura-chaaaaaaan, that's not fair!"

Sakura swallowed, and tried to hide the blush creeping across her cheeks.

"Sakura? Are you alright?" Her head snapped up, and her green eyes met the only visible one of his. saw it then. He saw the blush deepen, and she swallowed again, quickly looking away.

"I'm fine. Come on, lets get inside! The Snow Country is brutal this time of year isn't it? Oh, thanks mister!"

The old man nodded and smiled.

It wasn't long before Naruto, curiosity forgotten, challenged Sasuke to a race back to their inn. After a bit of taunting Sasuke accepted, and the two sped off through the snow.

"Umm... Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hmm?" She looked down at her shoes kicking a path through the snow-covered ground.

"Do you... want to know which one I got?"

"No..." He reached out a hand and stopped her. Carefully he wiped off a smear of chocolate at the corner of her mouth, and silently chuckled as her face turned the same shade as her hair. "Somehow Sakura, I think I already know."

_"Cha!"_ Inner Sakura crowed. _"Who the hell cares? The stomach ache will totally be worth it!"_

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Kakashi turned a blind eye later that evening when Sakura slipped back in through her room window, arms loaded with triple dip.


End file.
